This site has started a new theme in the past few days on the so-called layout dots and lines on the battleship stamps. Philately has understood these to be the artifacts of the plate layout process. Some readers here are not entirely convinced they all make sense as layout marks. For the next week or so I will be posting examples of these dots and lines. I have a fairly substantial set of examples on the 2ct doc, and will show one type and a variation today:
Dot just above upper frame line in center of stamp
Dot just above upper frame line in center of stamp, accompanied by a dot or other mark in the lower portion of the C of cents, not present on the stamp above
Based on centering and the cancels of the above two stamps, I believe these are stamps from the same sheet. I am not sure how either dot, the one touching the frame line or the one in the C of cents, function as guide dots. The one in the C clearly defaces part of the design, and would be difficult to burnish of the plate. The dot touching the frame line does not help to center the stamp horizontally, though perhaps if accompanied by another dot on a different axis could help locate the subject on the plate. Either way, why would only one stamp have the dot in the C?
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